When We Found Home

Unexpected tears burned in Callie’s eyes. Force of habit had her blinking them away before they could be spotted. Tears were a weakness she wasn’t allowed. She’d learned that lesson pretty quick. Only the strong survived.

She and Ryder’s mother were probably the same age or at least within a year of each other, yet Callie felt decades older. Once she’d wanted normal things—to have a good man in her life, get married, have kids, some kind of a career. It had all been so vague back when she’d been eighteen, but it had never occurred to her it wouldn’t happen. That in a single, stupid night she would destroy her future and set herself up for a life of having to explain herself over and over again.

She got her clothes out of the dryer and quickly folded them into her tote before starting the walk back to her small room. Each step on the sidewalk sounded like a never-ending refrain. Convicted felon. Convicted felon. She’d served her time, had, in theory, paid her debt to society, but she was marked forever.

She couldn’t rent a decent apartment because no one wanted a convicted felon in their building. She couldn’t work at a kid’s party as part of the serving staff because no one wanted a convicted felon near their children. She couldn’t get a job in a restaurant, despite having learned all about the food service industry while serving her time, because no one wanted a convicted felon near their customers. She’d earned her GED and had started on her associates degree while behind bars and that didn’t matter, either.

One stupid, foolish, thoughtless act—robbing a liquor store with her loser boyfriend—and her eighteen-year-old self had destroyed her future.

Callie gave herself the entire walk home to mentally beat up on herself but once she walked into her room, she drew in a breath and changed the subject. She’d learned that, too. That a downward spiral was nearly impossible to stop, so she had to make sure she stayed positive as much as she could. She had a plan. It was going to take a while, but she had a plan.

She was saving every penny she could while working two jobs. When she had the money, she would buy a small condo that would be hers—no matter what. Right now having a home was priority one. She hadn’t figured out exactly what she wanted to do, career wise, but she was open to possibilities. As for the great guy and a couple of kids, well, that was unlikely. She was wary of men and not very trusting of anyone who was willing to accept her past, so she was mostly alone, which was fine. One day it would all be better. It had to be. It just had to be.

chapter three

Mornings at the coffee stand were crazy busy, with only occasional lulls. Delaney worked efficiently, her gaze drawn again and again to the building’s large glass doors. Okay, yes, she and Malcolm had flirted on Friday. Big whoop. There was no reason to think he would acknowledge her in any way when he arrived this morning. There’d been an entire weekend between then and now. He could have totally forgotten her or gotten engaged. For all she knew, he was married.

No, she thought. He wasn’t an icky guy. She had a feeling he was single—he just didn’t strike her as the type to two-time. Although she could be totally wrong about that. From when she was sixteen until two years ago, there had only been one man in her life, so she was hardly anything close to a good judge of male character, but still. She didn’t think Malcolm was involved with anyone or—

She glanced up from her place at the cash register and saw him walking through the building’s large lobby. For a second she thought he wasn’t going to acknowledge her, but then he turned in her direction and winked. A silly gesture that took a nanosecond and meant nothing yet had happiness and anticipation and bubbly excitement flooding through her. Oh, man, she had it bad, and for someone she barely knew.

She smiled at him before returning her attention to the next customer. Three people back, she spotted one of her favorite customers.

“Luzia,” she called and nodded toward the preteen in a school uniform.

Luzia took Delaney’s place at the cash register. “Is she your sister or something?”

“No. Just a friend.”

“You take your break with her every day.”

“I know. It’s fun.”

Two months ago Keira had walked up to the counter and demanded a double espresso. Delaney had laughed and offered hot chocolate instead. There had been a few minutes of quiet so they’d talked. Delaney had learned that Keira was twelve, new to the area, starting at the exclusive private school across the street and didn’t have any family, save a brother and grandfather.

Over the past few weeks, she and Keira had formed a friendship of sorts. Keira opened up about her disdain for the school uniforms: “Seriously? Plaid? What? Are we in a porn movie?” and her dislike of her, as she called him, “asshole brother.”

Delaney couldn’t help thinking that underneath all that attitude was a scared little girl desperate to be loved. Not that she had any kids of her own, so maybe she was totally off base. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that despite having family, Keira was way too alone in the world.

Delaney finished making a large hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, grabbed a black coffee for herself, then went around to one of the small tables at the side of the coffee stand where Keira was already seated.

“Thank you,” Keira said, taking the drink from her. “How was your weekend?”

“Good. I mostly studied. What did you do?”

“Nothing. I stayed in my room and read and watched movies.”

Which is pretty much what Keira did every weekend, Delaney thought anxiously. The preteen needed more in her life.

“What about friends? You’re making them at school. You told me. Didn’t you want to do anything with them?”

Keira, a pretty girl with big blue eyes and freckles, looked at her. “You do realize that would mean someone driving me somewhere. It’s not going to happen. I’m not sure if my grandfather is still allowed to drive. Don’t they take away your license when you get to be really, really old? I guess I could ask Carmen. She might help me.”

“The housekeeper?”

Keira nodded. “She’s nice and she cooks great. As for my ass—”

Delaney cleared her throat. “We agreed you weren’t going to call him that anymore.”

“But he really is one. I can prove it.”

Delaney looked at her without speaking.

Keira groaned. “Fine. Fine. Can I call him my A-brother?”

“As in A+?”

Keira laughed. “Not that. Never that. A+. That’s funny. How’s biology?”

“Good. Scary, but good. I got a B on my first test.”

“That’s great! You were afraid you wouldn’t even pass.”

“I know. College is harder than I remember from the first time.”

“You’ll get it.”

Keira was a sweet kid, Delaney thought. Funny, smart and, despite her feelings about her brother, kind. She always asked about Delaney’s life and remembered what they’d talked about.

From what Delaney had pieced together, Keira had moved to Seattle from Los Angeles where she’d been living in foster care. But after that, the details got fuzzy. Apparently she lived in a big house with her grandfather, her older half brother and a housekeeper. Why the older brother wasn’t on his own but instead lived with his grandfather was something of a mystery. Delaney wondered if maybe there were mental or emotional issues, which might explain his inability to connect with his sister.

“About your friends,” Delaney began. “Are you hanging out with different people every day, like we talked about?”

“I am. Sometimes they just ignore me, but a few are talking back.” She sighed. “It’s hard. I’m not charming. Angelina was charming.”

“Angelina is...”

“The drag queen who took me in when my mom took off. He was born Carl, but in his heart he was always meant to be an Angelina. After Angelina Jolie. He, I mean, she totally respects Angelina’s life choices.” She lowered her voice. “Not counting Brad Pitt, of course. Because I mean really. Why? But all those children and the work she does around the world? That’s why she took me in. I didn’t have anybody.”

“You have family now,” Delaney said, not sure how much of the Carl/Angelina story was true. She wished she could talk to the asshole brother and tell him to step up and take some responsibility. Keira was desperately lonely. Why wasn’t anyone looking out for her beyond paying for private school and giving her a roof over her head?

Keira ignored the family comment and said, “Angelina wants to transition. Carl/Angelina, I mean, not the actress. She’s saving for the surgery, then wants to move to Hawaii because everything is beautiful there and she loves beautiful things.”

Keira opened her mouth to say something else, only instead of speaking she jumped to her feet, screamed “No!” at the top of her lungs, then raced out of the lobby.

Delaney was so stunned it took her a full second before she could move. She ran after Keira who was barreling out the doors and into the busy street. Before Delaney could figure out what was happening, she saw Keira bend down and pick up something from the street, then turn back toward the safety of the sidewalk. But before she could make it, there was a hideous screech of brakes followed by a horrible thud as a Prius struck Keira, sending her into the air, then back onto the street where she lay lifeless, a tiny kitten cradled in her small hands.

The world went silent. All Delaney heard was the beating of her own heart. Everything moved in slow motion as the driver flung open the car door and ran toward the fallen girl. People emerged from everywhere to surround her. Phones were pulled out as dozens called 9-1-1.

Shock later, action now, Delaney thought, willing her limbs to move. She stumbled to Keira’s side and fell to her knees next to her. Keira’s eyes fluttered open.

“Take care of the kitten,” she murmured, passing the small animal to Delaney before groaning. “I hurt.”

“Just stay still, Keira. It’s okay. An ambulance is coming. I’ll take the kitten.” The tiny creature trembled in her hands. “I’ll stay right here.”

“You know her?” a woman asked.

“She’s a friend of mine. She, ah, goes to the private school. Keira...” Delaney swore. “I don’t know her last name. She has a brother and a grandfather.”

Her brother! Delaney had to call him. Only where was Keira’s phone?

She looked around and realized the girl’s backpack was still next to her chair in the lobby eating area. Before Delaney could figure out what to do, Luzia ran out with Delaney’s purse in one hand and Keira’s backpack in the other.

“Are you going with her to the hospital?”

Delaney hesitated for only a second before nodding. “I’m going to call her brother to meet us there.”

Delaney dug for the phone while a man yelled he would go tell someone at the school that one of their students had been injured. Delaney found the phone just as an ambulance pulled up.

She scrolled through the short contact list, then, despite everything, smiled. Right under the As—Asshole Brother.

As the EMTs began to work on Keira, the girl called out. “Delaney, don’t leave me.” She looked at the guy helping her. “She’s my sister and she has to come with me.”

“Sure. No problem. Now tell me where it hurts. Can you move your toes? Not your legs, just your toes. We’re going to stabilize you, then get you to the hospital.”

“I can move my toes and it hurts everywhere.” Tears seeped out of the corners of Keira’s eyes. “Delaney!”

“I’m right here. I’m calling your brother to let him know what happened.”

“Don’t bother. He won’t care.”

The tears came faster now and she started to sob. “It hurts. It hurts. Make it stop.” The sobs turned into screams.

Delaney’s own eyes burned as she pushed the button on the phone. Pick up, pick up, she thought frantically. The kitten stayed perfectly still, huddled against her chest.

“Hello?”

“Are you Keira’s brother?”

“What? Yes. Who is this?”

“A friend of hers. Look, she’s been hit by a car. She’s conscious but I don’t know how badly she’s hurt. They’re taking her to the hospital. Hold on.” She turned to the EMTs who were loading Keira on a stretcher. “Which hospital?”

She repeated the information to Keira’s brother. “I’m going with her so she won’t be by herself. I have the kitten, too.”

“Kitten. What are you talking about? Who are you?”

“Delaney, don’t leave me!”

She saw that Keira was in the ambulance. She ran toward it. “I have to go. I’ll meet you at the hospital. Hurry.” She ended the call and started to climb in the back. One of the EMTs protested, but Delaney stared him down.

“She’s a kid who was just hit by a car. Give us both a break, okay?”

He nodded and helped her inside. Delaney sat close to Keira.

“It’s going to be okay,” she told the still-crying girl. “I’m right here.”

She shrugged out of her sweater, folded it up and put it in her tote, then settled the kitten on top of it. “Once I know you’re taken care of, I’ll see to our little friend here. Do you trust me to do that?”

Keira nodded, even as she cried. “It hurts so much.”

“I know, sweetie. I’m here.”

The EMT in the back started an IV, then the sirens came on and they were moving. Delaney knew what was next—the hospital, where the sounds and smells would bring everything back. She mentally braced herself for the onslaught, even as she hung on to Keira’s hand. For all she knew, she was all Keira had.

* * *

Malcolm barely glanced in his rearview mirror before performing an illegal U-turn. He’d been on his way to the company’s SoDo warehouse when he’d gotten the call about Keira. As he calculated the best way to get from here to the hospital in morning rush hour traffic, he pushed the button to activate his Mercedes’s voice control.

“Call home.”

“Calling home. Landline. Dialing.”

Seconds later he heard ringing. Carmen picked up. “Hello, Carlesso residence.”

“Carmen, it’s Malcolm. Someone just phoned to tell me Keira was in an accident.” He hesitated before saying she’d been hit by a car. He had no idea how bad things were or what was going to happen. “I’m on my way to the hospital right now. Please call the school and find out what they know. And don’t tell my grandfather until I get to the hospital and figure out what’s going on. He’ll get upset.”

“Keira? At the hospital?” Carmen’s voice was thick with tears. “No. Not that little girl. Is she all right? What happened? She was fine this morning.”

“I’ll call you as soon as I find out what has happened. Can you call the school for me?”

“Yes, of course.” Her voice broke. “I will pray for her. She’s so small. She must be afraid. When you see her, tell her I love her. Tell her I’m praying for her.”

“I will,” he said, wondering if it was physically possible to repeat that Carmen loved her. He’d managed to avoid that particular word for years now. “I’ll call as soon as I know anything.”

“Yes and I’ll let you know what the school says.”

“Thank you.”

He hung up. What had happened? How on earth had Keira been hit by a car? She went over to the building’s coffee stand every morning, but she knew enough to use the crosswalk, didn’t she? They’d never talked about it. He’d just assumed...

Of course she knew, he told himself. She was twelve, practically thirteen. Kids were mature these days. They knew things and understood how the world worked. She would be fine. She always was. She took care of herself and—

He gripped the steering wheel harder, as he silently swore. Powerful, ugly guilt swamped him. He recognized the symptoms because he had a lot to be guilty about. His grandfather and now Keira. She was a kid and while he wanted to be there for her, he honest to God didn’t know what to do with her. So he made sure she had what she needed and did his best to avoid her. Carmen seemed to pick up the slack, but was that enough?

He’d meant to do more, had wanted to get to know her, only he hadn’t known how and he was still so angry with their father. Jerry’s betrayal haunted him like a taunting ghost and in the end it was easier to avoid anyone who looked the least bit like him. It was easier to avoid his half sister, to tell himself she was doing just fine in her room at the opposite end of the hall.

He pushed the thoughts away. They weren’t helpful right now. Later he could indulge in a little self-loathing but until then he had to focus on the problem at hand.

He arrived at the hospital in record time and found parking by the emergency entrance. At the information desk, he gave his name, Keira’s and said he was her brother. The receptionist entered the information into her computer.

“She’s here,” the woman said. “Room 47. Through those doors, then follow the signs. They’ve taken her to get some X-rays, so she might not be there.”

He pushed open one of the swinging double doors and was assaulted by the smells and sounds of a busy hospital. There were dozens of exam rooms, each filled with patients and families. Medical personnel hurried from place to place, patient charts in their hands as a calm voice requested Dr. Herron call extension five-two-three. Orderlies moved equipment and in the distance, someone was screaming.

Malcolm felt his gut tighten as he followed the signs to Keira’s room. He hoped to hell she hadn’t been left alone. She was too young, and she had to be terrified, assuming she was conscious. He came to a stop as he realized he didn’t know how badly she was injured.

Guilt later, he reminded himself and started walking again. He turned another corner and saw room numbers in the forties, then found forty-seven. The door was open and the bed was empty. He started to leave only to realize there was someone else in the room. Someone who—

The woman turned and stared at him. Her green eyes were wide, her face pale. Under any other circumstances, her expression of surprise would have been comical.

“Delaney? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same thing. Oh God! You’re the asshole brother? No. It’s you? Keira’s your sister?”

Half sister. Only he didn’t say that. “How do you know her?”

“She gets a hot chocolate every morning. We’re friends. I take my break and we talk.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand. You’re her brother? But you never talk to her. You walk into the building at the same time, but it’s like you’re a stranger. I never imagined you even knew her. What’s with that? She’s your sister and you don’t say goodbye.” Tears filled her eyes. “She’s a little girl. You’re supposed to say goodbye.”

He reached for her instinctively. Tears turned into sobs. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a few seconds, only to feel something odd between them. Something moving.

He stepped back as a small black-and-white kitten crawled out of her tote and mewed.

Too much was happening at once, he thought, struggling to make sense of the input.

A nurse stuck her head in the room. “Delaney, hon, just wanted to let you know, she’s doing great. She’ll be back in a second.” She lowered her voice. “Nothing’s broken that we can see. She’s banged up pretty bad, but so far so good. There’s still her head to worry about, but we’ll get those tests done in a little bit.” She offered a sympathetic smile. “I thought you’d want to know.”

The woman left without acknowledging Malcolm. He turned to Delaney, who was petting the kitten and easing it back into her tote.

“Why is she telling you that? How come she knows you?”

Delaney sucked in a breath. “My dad was a cop. A couple of years ago he was shot and brought here. He was in the hospital over a month. I pretty much know everyone who works here.”

“Is your father all right?”

“Yeah. He’s in a wheelchair, but he’s doing fine. He got engaged a few months ago.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble concentrating. Everything happened so fast and there was no way to stop her. She just ran into the street.”

“Why?”

Delaney stared at him. “The kitten. She saw the kitten and didn’t want it to be run over.”

Instead she’d been hit by a car.

Before he could ask any more questions, Keira was wheeled back into the room. She looked impossibly small in the bed. Her skin was a pale contrast to angry scrapes and bruises. She wasn’t moving—he couldn’t even tell if she was breathing.

Guilt merged with panic. Shouldn’t someone do something?

Delaney took one of Keira’s hands. “Hey, you,” she whispered. “Your brother is here. You should have told me his name was Malcolm. Not knowing that made for a very awkward call.”

Keira’s eyes fluttered, then stayed closed.

“You’re going to be okay, Keira,” Delaney continued. “You’re going to be okay.”

They couldn’t know that for sure, he thought grimly. Why wasn’t she awake? Wasn’t a brain injury more significant than any broken bones?

A doctor walked in. She was about five-four, with gray hair and a kind expression. “You two are the siblings?” she asked.

Delaney smiled. “Hi, Dr. Newport. This is Malcolm. He’s Keira’s brother. I’m a friend.”

Dr. Newport smiled. “You’re assuming I’ll make an exception and allow you to stay.”

“I kind of am.”

“Then I will.” The doctor turned to Malcolm and offered her hand. “Mr....”

“Carlesso. Call me Malcolm. How is she?”

“Bruised and sore, but otherwise intact.” She went on to detail the injuries Keira had sustained when she’d been hit by the car. “She’s incredibly lucky. All her vitals are normal and her concussion is very mild. Still, we’ll want to keep her overnight for observation. Just to be safe. She’ll need to stay quiet for a few days, until the worst of the pain passes. She’s going to be stiff and sore for a while.”

He glanced at Keira who still had her eyes closed. “Why is she unconscious?”

“She’s asleep. We gave her something for the pain. Even without serious injuries, her body suffered major trauma. She’ll wake up in a bit and you’ll be able to talk to her.”

Dr. Newport promised to look in on Keira before she was taken up to the pediatric floor. Malcolm excused himself to phone Carmen with an update. When he returned to the room, there was yet another nurse there, chatting with Delaney. When the nurse saw Malcolm, she hugged Delaney, then walked over to him.

“Hi. I need to get Keira’s medical history. She was pretty out of it when she came in and Delaney didn’t have any info.” She opened her tablet and looked at him. “We’ll start with the big stuff and work back. Any allergies or sensitivities?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What about major surgeries?”

“I don’t know.” He looked at the bed, then back at the nurse. “I don’t know. She’s my half sister. She moved here from Los Angeles a couple of months ago. My grandfather arranged it. Let me call home and find out if he knows anything or if she came with medical records.”

“Any medical information would be helpful. As an FYI, you’re going to need her vaccination information for school and sports. Oh, wait.” The nurse smiled reassuringly. “She’s in school, right?”

“Yes. Puget Sound Preparatory Academy.”

The nurse and Delaney exchanged a look. “Someone would have had to fill out a medical history to get her enrolled,” the nurse told him. “So there is some information.”

“I’ll call Carmen,” he muttered, feeling more and more out of his element.

“Great. Just buzz when you have the information and I’ll come back.” She smiled and left.

Malcolm stared after her. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said, knowing his tone was defensive. “My grandfather enrolled her in the school. It’s only been two months.” How could he be expected to know very much about her?

Except she was his sister, a small voice in his head whispered.

“So it’s all true,” Delaney said. “I thought she was making it up.”

“Making what up?”